Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 400 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lessened its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 20.4% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 205,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,185,000 after purchasing an additional 34,859 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $319,000. Managed Asset Portfolios LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 0.7% in the first quarter. Managed Asset Portfolios LLC now owns 1,148,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,941,000 after buying an additional 8,318 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 29.2% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 280,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,062,000 after acquiring an additional 63,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 0.4% during the first quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 210,808 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,312,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU traded up $0.51 on Friday, reaching $27.18. 828,333 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 958,863. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $25.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.77. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.04 and a fifty-two week high of $27.30.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.05. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.42% and a net margin of 10.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 13th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MDU. Argus raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, May 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rob L. Johnson acquired 36,291 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.46 per share, for a total transaction of $923,968.86. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 41,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,067,639.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.